a cowboy love song
by SnarkyFanGirl
Summary: pure fluff. fun stuff. edward is a cowboy, bella loves cowboys... you do the math. au/ah, rated for language
1. Chapter 1

**A Cowboy Love Story**

"Dude, we seriously need to get you off of this ranch, and away from that woman," Emmett muttered, removing his hat and swiping his forehead with his arm. I smiled.

"Tanya's trying her best," I offered. Emmett snorted. Jasper's lips curled up as he shook his head.

"Boy, you know she ain't gonna last out here," he said, his thick southern drawl sounding more pronounced than usual. I sighed. I wanted to believe that he was wrong, but I'd had a gut feeling ever since the first time that Tanya had set foot on my beloved ranch two months ago. "She's a city girl – she don't wanna live in the country."

"Why are you wasting your time on someone you _know_ isn't going to be around very long?" Emmett wondered aloud. I shrugged, rolling my shoulders and trying to ease some of the tension there.

"It's nice to have a woman around," I answered truthfully. I had been lonely for too long, I thought. I was only twenty six, but I was an old soul. I'd had time to sow my wild oats (as my Momma would say), and I was ready to settle down. I wanted a wife to come home to when the day was over – someone who would be a partner to me, and love me and support the lifestyle I'd chosen, no matter how grueling it could be. I wanted a house full of children who laughed and raised hell and ran me and their momma ragged. I wanted to grow old with someone. My dream was to sit on the front porch, drinking lemonade and holding hands with my wife as we yelled "No!" and "Stop that!" at our children and grandchildren. Emmett just didn't understand.

"Yeah, but you need a woman who's going to acclimate to this lifestyle," Jasper pointed out. "Tanya can't stand to be here for longer than thirty minutes at a time."

"Seriously, man," Emmett added, nodding emphatically. I grinned at him, then sighed.

"It'd be nice if you found a gal who enjoys this life as much as you do."

"It would," I agreed. I shook my head. "And with as many women as I've met over the years, you'd think I would've found one by now."

"You just ain't lookin' in the right places, son," Jasper said, grinning. "But it's Friday night, so let's get a move on. I'm ready for a nice, cold beer." I couldn't agree more.

"Let me run home and shower," Emmett said, hopping down from his perch on the fence. Thank god it was a sturdy one – Emmett was a big guy.

"I could do with some freshening up, too," Jasper admitted.

"All right. Meet you boys there," I said, nodding at them. I made my way back up to the house and walked right in – I rarely kept the place locked. My property was big, but it was closed off, too. I didn't get visitors often, so I didn't see the need. That was good for me, because it meant that I didn't need to keep track of a set of keys that would be easy to lose and impossible to find.

I stripped out of my dirty work clothes and hopped into the shower, thoroughly enjoying the way the hot water was massaging my sore muscles. I enjoyed my work, but it wasn't easy by any means. Most nights I fell into bed exhausted and slept like the dead – but there was nothing like waking up to a beautiful Texas sunrise. My family and friends all shared the same sentiment – we were all Texans, born and raised – and none of us ever felt the need to leave.

Tanya, on the other hand, was constantly full of chatter about visiting other places – like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago – you name a big city, and she'd most likely want to go there – as long as it was outside of Texas. I felt sorry for her in a way- it was terrible to be so unsatisfied with your life that you wanted to escape it. There were times when I'd like to get off of the ranch and retreat to the cool of the house, or my parents' house, but never had I ever wanted to move away from Texas. It was where my life was; where my history was, and certainly where my future would be.

I turned the shower off, stepped out, and began drying off. I liked Tanya well enough, I thought, but the guys were right. I couldn't see a future with her, so what in the hell was I doing with her? I tried to imagine Tanya in the kitchen, making dinner, and the thought made me snort. She had made it clear from day one that she couldn't even boil water. I tried to imagine her belly swollen with my child, and I had to fight not to gag. Not that we had had sex in the scant two and a half months we'd dated – she'd wanted to, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I hadn't even really _kissed_ her, for god's sake. I'd given her pecks on the cheek, but that was it. I could tell that it frustrated her, but I couldn't help it, and I wouldn't be pushed faster than I was ready to go.

I pulled on my Friday night jeans and a plain blue t-shirt, and then pulled on my socks and boots. I loved my leather boots, but they were more decorative than functional – I preferred my steel-toed boots for every day.

I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to flatten it, but as per usual it had a mind of its own. It refused to stay down. I sighed and abandoned hope that it would submit to me – it might if I used hair gel or mousse, but I wasn't about to do that. I sprayed a bit of cologne on and grabbed my keys before making my way out to my truck.

The drive to the bar was relatively short, but it gave me enough time to think about what I was going to do about Tanya. Well, I had pretty much already decided to end things with her – I was just trying to figure out _how_ to do it. I'd never broken up with a woman before. Usually they decided that I wasn't worth the trouble, and they just stopped calling and coming around, and I never bothered to call and ask them to come back.

I pulled into a parking space and cut the engine, then strode across the parking lot. One glance around the inside of the bar revealed Emmett and Jasper sitting in our usual booth. We'd been occupying that same booth every Friday night for the past five years – it offered the best vantage point in the bar. We could watch the entrance, the bar itself, and the dance floor. The guys seemed to be deep in conversation, but when I had made it about halfway to them, Jasper looked up.

The look in his eyes was one of panic – I recognized it because it was the same look he'd worn when one of my bulls had broken loose last August. We'd spent the better part of an hour trying to rein him back in. Emmett turned and met my eyes with his, but he didn't look panicked – instead his look was one of resignation. I wondered briefly what was going on with them, before Emmett's eyes shifted to my right. I stopped in my tracks and turned to see what he was looking at.

My first thought was that it was odd to see Tanya in a place like this – a honkytonk bar that was full of men just like me and my friends. I'd invited her twice, and she'd declined to come both times, stating that it just wasn't 'her kind of place.' My second thought was something close to a hallelujah, because I had been presented with an out. She was grinding on Mike Newton, the owner of the local sporting goods supply store. After a moment, his mouth was fused to hers for the second time since I'd walked in. I sighed and made my way over to my friends.

"Sorry, man," Emmett said, giving me a sad look.

"It's not a big deal," I said, shrugging. Jessica, the waitress who always worked Friday nights and had been asking me out since high school, brought me a beer without my having to order it. It was yet another reason why I loved living here – all the local places knew my usual orders. Jasper studied me in that quietly appraising way of his, and after a moment, he gave a slight nod.

"You're better off." He took a pull from his beer.

"I really am," I agreed, cracking a smile. Emmett frowned at me.

"You sure you're okay?"

"In the time it took me to clean up and get over here, I decided that you boys were right – I was just wasting time with her. Still, it was a nice thought."

"You'll find someone, man," Emmett reassured me, grinning before taking a drink of his own beer. I turned to Jasper, only to find that he was staring at the front door of the bar. I glanced over to see what he was so focused on, and my breath caught in my throat.

They had just come in, and were completely oblivious to the stares they were gathering. The tall blonde woman said something, and they all laughed as they made their way to the bar. Blondie was pretty, but she reminded me of Tanya – she looked too city for my tastes. The smallest of them had short jet black hair. She was pretty enough too – but I only had eyes for the brunette.

She was taller than the black-haired girl, but not as tall as the blonde one. She wasn't as skinny as either of them – they looked like they could use a couple dozen sandwiches – but she was _perfect_. She had curves where a woman should. Her chocolate brown hair fell in waves to the middle of her back, and it was so long that when she threw her head back and laughed, it brushed the top of her jeans.

Jeans! Shit… I was in trouble. Her jeans hugged every luscious curve (even though they weren't as tight as Tanya had liked to wear hers). How could one person make you drool and make your mouth feel dry at the same time?

But most of all… her face. It was lovely. Even from across the bar I could see big, dark expressive eyes, cupid's bow lips, and a perfect cute little nose, all framed in a heart-shaped face. I turned back to my friends for a minute only to find that they were openly staring.

"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph," Jasper swore, not tearing his eyes away from the girls.

"Amen," Emmett breathed. I smiled.

"See something you like?" I turned back to stare at the girls, only to find that the black-haired one was staring over at _us_, her mouth open. Before I could say anything, Jasper was out of his seat and walking towards them. I watched with bated breath, hoping that he wasn't going for the brunette. When he smiled at the little black-haired girl, I exhaled slowly.

"Apparently you see something you like, too," Emmett observed, his voice full of amusement. "The blonde or the brunette?"

"Brunette," I whispered, watching as Jasper leaned in and said something into the littlest woman's ear. Her cheeks turned pink and she smiled up at him. The brunette and the blonde were watching their friend and Jasper with obvious amusement.

"Thank God," Emmett said. His relief was obvious. "I love you, man, but if you'd said the blonde girl – we may have had our first fight." I chuckled. The little girl grabbed Jasper's arm and dragged him closer to her friends, gesturing between him and them. I'd never seen Jasper take the initiative to introduce himself to a woman before, not in all the years I'd known him. This was a big deal. I watched as he held out his hand and the other two women shook it, and then Jasper gestured to where we were sitting.

When her eyes locked with mine, it felt like all of the air had been sucked out of the room. I was grateful that I was sitting down, because I was so light-headed that if I had been standing, I surely would have passed out. Our eyes stayed locked and I watched as her teeth sunk into her lower lip. Suddenly it felt as though the temperature in the room had gone up about five hundred degrees – I felt feverish. She broke our gaze and I felt myself frowning as she turned and said something to the blonde. Jasper motioned to us again, and the little girl who was now attached to his right arm nodded enthusiastically. I downed the rest of my beer quickly, hoping it would help my suddenly terribly dry throat. It didn't. It felt like everything was moving in slow motion as I watched Jasper lead all of the women to our booth.

"Fellas, there's some ladies I'd like you to meet," he began, smiling down at the woman who was now tucked under his right arm. She beamed up at him. "This here's Alice. That's Rosalie," he said, pointing to the blonde. "And that's Bella." My breath caught in my throat. _Bella_. What a fitting name.

"I'm Emmett." Emmett nodded at them, and Bella and Alice smiled and returned the nod. Rosalie frowned a little. I stood.

"I'm Edward." I never took my eyes from hers as I offered my hand. The color rose in her cheeks – _beautiful_ – and she slipped her soft hand into mine. I felt like I'd touched a live wire – electricity shot up my arm, making me suck in a breath. Her eyes widened, and she looked down at our hands before meeting my gaze again. She must have felt it too.

"Bella," she breathed. I was so gone. Her breathy voice made goosebumps appear on my arms.

"I'm Alice." I turned to see her watching me with a knowing smirk. She held out her hand for me to shake, and I realized I'd been holding on to Bella's hand for longer than was probably necessary. Reluctantly, I dropped her hand and shook Alice's. I turned and offered a hand to Rosalie, which she shook with a firm grip. I motioned for the ladies to sit down, and was pleased to see that Bella sat down last, which meant she'd be sitting next to me.

"It's nice to meet you guys," Alice said, snuggling under the arm that Jasper raised. My eyebrows shot up, and Emmett looked as though his eyes might bug out of his head. I glanced at the other two women, and they were both wearing silly smiles as they looked at their friend and mine together. Apparently this behavior was not out of the ordinary for Alice – but it sure as hell was for Jasper. In all the years we'd been friends, I'd yet to see him in public with a woman. Come to think of it, I didn't remember him ever having an actual girlfriend, either…

"You, too," I responded finally, clearing my throat. She didn't seem to be listening – she and Jasper were too busy staring into each others' eyes. I turned to the beauty at my side. "So do you ladies live nearby?"

"We're from Fort Worth," Bella explained, shaking her head. I blinked.

"You're a little ways away from home," I pointed out. Rosalie rolled her eyes, but I ignored her. "Planning on staying long?" I really, really wanted to know if I was going to see her again.

"I don't know," she answered, her cheeks reddening with her blush. Oh hell, that was amazing, the way her skin turned rosy… it had been so long since I'd seen a woman blush, I didn't think they even could anymore. My heart was pounding wildly. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and my fingers itched to reach out and touch her hair. I wanted to feel it for myself and see if it was really as soft as it looked.

"Bella has some kind of stupid, convoluted notion that she wants to live in the country, and not the city," Rosalie said acidly, shaking her head. Jessica approached and took our orders, and I couldn't help but notice that Bella ordered the same kind of beer that the guys and I were drinking, while her friends ordered fruity mixed drinks. My heart threatened to break loose from my chest.

"You want to live in the country?" I repeated, my eyes on Bella. She nodded. "Pine Springs is an amazing place to live."

"It's really beautiful," she breathed, nodding at me.

"Why do you want to live in the country? If you don't mind my asking, that is," Jasper added quickly. I noticed that he was rubbing his thumb against Alice's shoulder. They weren't acting like they'd just met – they were acting like an old married couple. It was kind of amazing to watch.

"Oh, shit," Rosalie muttered. "Here we go." She took a long drink. Alice rolled her eyes.

"Shut up, Rose. I think it's nice."

"I'd like to live somewhere where I can see the stars at night without artificial lights clouding my view," she began. My heart nearly stopped. That was one of the many reasons that I loved the ranch, and the place I lived. "I'd like to raise my kids somewhere where they can play outside and run and be kids without having to worry about them getting run over in the street. I want to-"

"Yeah, we get it, Bells. You want to live in the country." Rosalie sighed and rested her chin against her fist.

"Do you have children?" Emmett asked, tilting his head at her curiously. She shook her head.

"No."

"But you want kids?" he clarified. I blinked and glanced over at him. The bastard winked at me. He was asking her questions for me! This could not end well.

"Absolutely."

"A lot?"

Rosalie and Alice both fixed him with calculating looks. After a moment, Alice's eyes slid from him to me, and then from me to her friend, and her smile brightened impossibly.

"Bella wants a house full of kids," she interjected. Bella's face turned bright red, and she took a drink of her beer. I would've done the same thing, if I had been embarrassed by my friends.

"Really? What a coincidence. So does Edward, here." Emmett jerked his thumb in my direction. I took a swig of beer to keep from saying something harsh about his butting in.

"That _is_ interesting," Alice said, eyeing me. "What do you do, Edward?"

"He owns a ranch," Emmett answered for me.

"So he's a _cowboy?_" Alice asked gleefully, her eyes darting to her friend. Bella's face was so red, it was almost purple. I thought I heard her mutter something, but I couldn't be sure what it was.

"Basically, yes ma'am," Jasper answered. "I guess we all are. We're his ranch hands." Alice's lips parted and her eyes became hooded as she looked up at him.

"Really," she breathed. Rosalie snorted, and Emmett turned his attention to her.

"Is there something wrong with being a cowboy?"

"No," she answered, her tone suggesting otherwise. She took another drink, finishing it off, and motioned to Jessica for another.

"What do you do, that's so important?"

"I'm an attorney." Emmett bristled. Oh, shit. He hated lawyers with a burning passion. It didn't help that his father was a lawyer, and he and his father were currently estranged.

"That explains a lot." Rosalie shot Emmett a venomous look, and he chuckled, taking a swig of beer.

"And just what in the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It means exactly that-"

"What about you, Edward?" Alice interrupted. I gave her a grateful look, and she smiled at me. "Do you want a family someday?"

"Er… yes."

"Don't you think that's kind of a personal question to ask someone you _just met_, Alice?" Bella asked, sounding angry. Alice looked unfazed.

"Not really. We just talked about what you want, didn't we? I for one want to get married and have lots of sex and babies." I choked on the beer that I'd been attempting to swallow. Jasper's smile widened.

"What a coincidence," he began. I couldn't help myself- I laughed. Bella gave me a strange look.

"What?" I leaned over a little so only she could hear me.

"I just think it's funny how they're acting like an old married couple." She grinned back at me.

"It is, but it's also kind of … adorable," she said, glancing back at them. Hell, they were basically undressing each other with their eyes!

"So what are you doing here, then?" I wondered aloud, my voice still soft enough that only she could hear me. "Checking out different potential places to live?"

"Something like that," she laughed. "Rose thinks I'm crazy because I don't want to leave Texas, but I can't. I love it too much." I stared. Her cheeks turned pink again. Oh, God… I was _so_ gone.

"Have you always lived in Texas?"

"I'm a born-again Texan," she teased, laughing. "My dad was in the army, and we got stationed in Texas during his last two years before retirement. I fell in love. I haven't left since."

"How long ago was that?"

"Twelve years ago."

"And in all that time, you've never wanted to leave Texas?" I was sure I sounded creepy, but I just had to know.

"Nope," she said, popping the 'p.'

"May I ask your age?" she smiled, and my heart jumped into my throat.

"And here I thought that all southern gentlemen were taught not to ask a woman's age," she teased. I grinned, and her smile faltered.

"My momma would have my hide," I agreed. "But I'd still really like to know, if you don't mind telling me."

"I'm twenty four."

"You're still young," I pointed out. "Are you sure you don't want to get out there and see the world?"

"Why?" she asked, wrinkling her nose adorably. "I mean, I wouldn't mind going on vacation every now and then, but I love it too much here. All of my family is nearby, and they wouldn't be if I left."

I think I'm in love.

Sweet holy Christ, is it possible to fall in love this fast?

"You should come by and see my ranch," I blurted before I could stop myself. "That is… I mean, if you want to." It was then that I realized that all conversation at the table had stopped, and all eyes were on us. Alice's eyes darted around the table.

"What? Why are you guys staring at him like you've never seen him before?"

"Um," Jasper said, clearing his throat. "It's just… nothing." He shook his head and smiled down at her.

"You'll tell me later, won't you, Jazzy?"

"Jazzy?" Emmett asked, barking out a laugh.

"Later?" I asked, arching an eyebrow. Jasper shrugged and smiled.

"I'm going home with him," Alice announced proudly. I felt my mouth drop open, and both the other women began talking at once.

"Alice, what in the fu-"

"Rose!" Bella shrieked. Then, "We need to go to the bathroom and powder our noses, gentlemen." All three women moved out of the booth and scurried towards the bathroom. Emmett laughed.

"Powder their noses? Who the hell says that anymore? And why in the hell would she think we were stupid enough to believe it?"

"I'm sure it was just a polite way for her to get away from the table," I snapped, frowning at him. He turned and looked at me, his expression guarded. Then his eyes widened.

"Holy shit! You _like_ her!"

"Of course he does," Jasper said, winking at me. "God, Edward, could she have been any _more_ perfect for you? You've always had a thing for brunettes anyway, but what she said-"

"Brunettes, huh?" I exhaled slowly and turned to face Tanya, who was staring intently at me, her arms folded over her chest.

"Tanya," I said curtly. "I'm surprised to see you here. You've never liked this place, if I remember correctly."

"Things change."

"Apparently," I said, looking pointedly over at the table where her dance partner was sitting and trying not to ogle her. She followed my gaze, and her face flushed – not in the adorable way that Bella's had, but with anger.

"Well, you can't really blame me. You weren't filling my needs, so I found someone who would."

"I'm sure he fulfills your _needs_ very well," I said, trying not to laugh. I saw the ladies heading back towards us, and my heart began stuttering as I met Bella's eyes. "Now if you'll excuse us…"

"What he means is go the hell away," Emmett spoke up, grinning. Jasper laughed.

"That's it?"

"What, did you think you would come flaunt a new guy in Edward's face, and he'd beg for you to stay with him?" Jasper asked. From the look on Tanya's face, it was clear that that had been exactly her goal. I stood and let Bella slide in beside me, and I forgot all about the angry redhead.

"Don't get involved with this one," Tanya told Bella, pointing to me. "He's an ass." With that, she turned and stomped off. Bella gave me an incredulous look.

"What was that?"

"That was Tanya," Emmett said, shaking his head. "She's been after Edward for almost a year. Two months ago, he said he'd go out with her, and he hasn't been able to get rid of her since – until tonight, anyway," he added, laughing. Bella craned her neck and looked in the direction Tanya had gone, then looked back at me.

"That was your last girlfriend?"

"I wouldn't really call her my girlfriend," I said, cringing a little. "We didn't really date – it was more like hanging out." Was I the only one who thought that sounded lame? "She wasn't a very nice person."

"She was a bitch," Emmett said, waving at Jessica for another beer. Rosalie snorted, and Emmett's eyes narrowed at her.

"Do you have something to say, Rosalie?"

"Why is she a bitch? Did she assert herself? Refuse to cook and clean for him? Say she didn't want kids?"

"She's a bitch because she thought she was better than us," he clarified heatedly. Her eyes snapped over to him. "Apparently coming from a big city made her better than us – what did she call us the other day, Jasper?"

"Country hicks," he supplied coolly. Emmett glared at Rosalie, who looked slightly taken aback. Alice cleared her throat.

"So why were you with her, if you didn't think she was a nice person?" she wondered.

"I don't know," I admitted. "I didn't really enjoy spending time with her. We wanted different things, I guess."

"When Bella comes to see your ranch, can I come too?" Alice asked innocently. Bella glared at her across the table.

"Sure." Alice clapped her hands together, and I grinned. Her enthusiasm was infectious.

"Ooh, do you ever have bonfires? It would be so awesome to stargaze around a fire," she gave Jasper a sideways glance, and he grinned at her.

"There's nothing Edward loves better," he said, looking up at me. My eyebrows shot up. "What do you say, Cullen? Want to host a bonfire tomorrow night?"

"Cullen?" Rosalie asked, her eyes darting over to me. Jasper nodded. "Your last name is Cullen? As in _Esme_ Cullen?"

"That would be his momma," Jasper drawled, nodding. Was I going to get to speak for myself again at some point tonight?

"Do you want to come with us then, Rose?" Alice asked, fixing interested eyes on her friend. Rosalie stared at me for a minute, and then nodded.

"Is anybody going to ask Edward if he even _wants_ to have a bonfire?" Bella interjected. "You guys are making all of these plans for him, and haven't let him get a word in edgewise!" I felt my lips curl up into a pleased smile, and I couldn't help it – I stared at her. Her cheeks turned pink and she gave me an exasperated look. "What?"

"Nothing. It's just nice to have someone stand up for me." The pink on her cheeks blossomed into red and she looked down at her beer, but she was smiling. "Are you trying to tell me that you don't want to come?"

"No, I wasn't-" she stopped when she looked up and realized that I was teasing. "I'd love to come."

"Better eat before you come," Emmett cautioned them. "Edward can do just about anything – except cook."

"Bella could come over and make dinner," Alice volunteered. If Bella's glare could kill, Alice would've been stone cold on the floor. Jasper bit his lip and tried valiantly not to laugh. "I mean, I could help her, too, but she's the most amazing cook ever."

As if I hadn't already known it, this woman now owned me – and I didn't even know her last name.

"I'm sorry that Alice keeps inviting us over without asking you first," Bella said, giving me a wry smile. "She does that a lot."

"I don't mind if you don't," I answered honestly. She blinked, and then a slow, beautiful smile blossomed across her face.

"Are you sure you don't mind letting me loose in your kitchen? I'm practically a stranger."

"I don't mind, and I'd really, _really_ like to change that." She bit down on her lower lip and looked down. Alice began clapping excitedly, and Rosalie rolled her eyes – though I noticed that her eyes hadn't strayed very far from me since she'd figured out who my mother was.

"Um," she murmured, finally looking back up at me. "How do we get there, and what time do you want us there?"

"I can meet you here tomorrow and you can just follow me out there," I offered. "Time doesn't matter to me, though it's easier if we plan for after four o'clock."

"Will you guys already be out there?" Bella asked, glancing from Jasper to Emmett.

"Jasper is going to bring me later on," Alice said, smiling brilliantly up at him. I felt my mouth drop open a little bit. He was really going to spend the night with a woman he'd just met. It wasn't completely unheard of, but it had been a damned long time since it had happened.

"Well, what the hell am I, chopped liver?" Rosalie demanded. Bella smiled at her, caught her bottom lip with her teeth, and glanced shyly at me before looking back to her friend. Rosalie softened visibly. I didn't understand the unspoken communication, but whatever was going on, Rosalie suddenly seemed a lot more relaxed. She nodded and smiled back at Bella. "I'll ride with Bella."

"Goody," Emmett muttered, turning his head and taking a long pull of his beer. He missed the frown Rosalie shot at him.

"Well I'd like to be able to say that I'd like to stay longer, but it wouldn't be true, and if there's one thing my momma didn't raise, it's a liar." Jasper grinned and started scooting himself and Alice out of the booth.

"Alice, call if you need us," Rosalie called, watching them head towards the door. Alice waved without turning around, and then they were gone. She was about to say something when Jessica handed Bella and I each another beer. "Shit. You don't want to leave yet, do you?"

Bella shook her head no, and took a drink of the fresh beer. Rosalie screwed her face up and made a disgusted noise.

"How can you drink that swill?"

"Too good for beer?" Emmett asked, snorting. Rosalie rounded on him.

"What exactly is your problem with me, you Neanderthal?"

"Oh, so I can't buy into the stereotype that you're a bitch because you _assert yourself_, but you can buy into the stereotype that I'm a stupid caveman because I'm big? Nice double standards, there, blondie." Rosalie's cheeks turned red and her eyes narrowed. She pointed one perfectly manicured nail in his direction.

"_Don't_ call me blondie," she ordered.

"Or what? You'll bore me to death with your lawyer-speak?" he yawned to punctuate his point. "Sorry, Edward. I think it's time for me to bail. I'll see you tomorrow, bright and early." He got up and scooted out of the booth. Rosalie crossed her arms over her chest and exhaled noisily.

"I need to go to the ladies' room. I'll be right back." And then she was gone, leaving me and Bella alone together. Our eyes met, and we both burst out laughing.

"Is she like that all the time?"

"Is he?"

"Strangely… no. Emmett's the nicest guy you'd ever want to meet."

"Not the nicest," she said, catching her lip between her teeth again. Suddenly it was hot in here again.

"So…" I swallowed to try and force some moisture back into my dry throat, but my throat was too thick to cooperate. "Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"I have a stepbrother and a half-sister," she said, nodding. "I've never lived with either, though, so I may as well be an only child. My dad got remarried about a year after I moved out of his house, and she brought her son with her. My mom and stepdad had my sister five years before that."

"So you're the oldest?"

"Yeah." She took another drink and licked her lips, and I felt lightheaded. "Seth is fourteen, and Carlie is sixteen. What about you? Any brothers or sisters?"

"Just me." I smiled, and her answering smile took my breath away. "But I like it that way. I'm a momma's boy, but my Dad and I are best friends." Her smile got wider.

"My Mom is my best friend even though I haven't lived with her for a really long time – and I'm a daddy's girl." I laughed. "What else should I know about you, Edward Cullen?"

"I'm the poster boy for cowboy stereotypes," I offered. She giggled. I could listen to that sound forever. "I love my ranch, I love my work, I love country music – for the most part, I love my life." She bit her lip and studied my face, and her smile faded a little bit.

"For the most part?" I shrugged. "What would you change?"

"I get lonely sometimes, just like anyone else," I explained, focusing on the label of my beer bottle. The corner was ripped and pulling away from the glass, and I tugged at it, ripping it further. "Other than that, my life is pretty much perfect." I smiled and looked up. She was frowning down at her own beer bottle. "Hey, are you okay? I didn't mean to make you sad, or anything."

"I'm fine," she said, shaking her head and forcing a smile. "It's just that – you and I seem to have a lot in common."

"That's a good thing," I reassured her, grinning. She smiled and rolled her eyes at me.

"It's… can I tell you something really weird?" I nodded. "It's the strangest thing. I've dragged these girls all over this state, looking for a place where I might fit, and Alice took one look at the map and told me to come to Pine Springs, because what I was looking for was here." She paused and glanced up at me through the fringe of her lashes. My breath caught in my throat. "Does that sound as crazy as I think it does?"

"It depends. Do you think she's right?"

"Yeah," she breathed, her eyes meeting mine. "I think she is." I'm sure I looked like a fish – my mouth kept opening and closing of its own accord. When I was finally able to get it to stop, I smiled at her.

"So what else do I need to know about you, Bella …?" She shook her head slightly and looked embarrassed.

"Sorry! Swan. My name's Bella Swan. Well, actually it's Isabella, but only my mom calls me that."

"I like it, but I think Bella suits you better." She blushed.

"There's not much to know about me. I'm a chef – someday I would love to own my own restaurant or catering business, or even a little hole-in-the-wall bakery slash coffee shop. I love the outdoors, I love animals, I love kids, and I probably like country music more than you do," she said, shooting me a sly look. I laughed.

"You're a chef?" She nodded. "What's your favorite kind of food to cook?" It was her turn to laugh.

"Edward, that's like asking an artist what his favorite color is! I love everything. If I _had_ to pick a favorite, I'd say I probably like making comfort food the best."

"Comfort food?"

"You know, things like soup, macaroni and cheese – stuff like that."

"Stuff that comes from a box or a can is your favorite?" I tried to hide the disappointment that leaked into my voice, but she heard it and smiled.

"I'll have you know I've never made macaroni and cheese from the box." I sighed wistfully.

"I haven't had real mac and cheese since the last time I visited my parents."

"When was that?"

"About a month ago." She looked surprised.

"I thought you said that you were close to your family?"

"I am, I just get really busy sometimes, and I haven't had a chance to get over to see them. They live in Dell City, about an hour's drive west of here. Momma always cooks up a storm when I go – she sends a ton home with me, too." I couldn't help the smile that curved my mouth upwards. She smiled and wrinkled her nose a little at me.

"You are the most adorable thing," she breathed. My heart stopped, and her face flushed. She shook her head. "I mean, I think it's adorable that you… and your mom… oh, god!" she dropped her face into her hands. "I should shut up now."

"Actually, I was just thinking that you're pretty adorable, too." She peeked at me through her fingers.

"I have no verbal filter. That's not cute, it's humiliating."

"It's refreshing to talk to a woman who speaks her mind, instead of wondering what kind of game she's playing this time." Her hands dropped and she frowned at me.

"Did Tanya play games?"

"That's all she did. I'm starting to think it's all she knows how to do." Bella looked in the direction where Tanya had been sitting, but she was nowhere to be found.

"I know I don't know you all that well, but just judging by her looks, she didn't look like your type."

"Definitely not."

"So you guys weren't serious, then?" I opened my mouth to answer, and she exhaled noisily. "Sorry, I'm being nosy. Please don't feel like you have to answer that."

"I don't mind," I said honestly. "You can ask me anything you want to, Bella. I want you to know me."

"Thank you." She smiled and drained the rest of her beer.

"No, we weren't serious. Not even close. Momma kept asking me when she was going to meet her, but Tanya isn't exactly the kind of woman I wanted to take home to meet her."

"Would your mom have liked her?"

"Definitely not." Bella giggled. "What about you? Do you have a boyfriend somewhere who's missing you?" she turned red again and stared at the table as she shook her head.

"No."

"I hope you'll excuse my language, but why the hell not?" Her head jerked up, and she stared at me for a minute.

"I think it's mostly because whenever Rose is around…" she shrugged and let her sentence trail off. "Well, you saw her."

"And what does she have to do with you not having a boyfriend?" I asked, confused. She stared at me again, her lips parted.

"Are you for real?"

"Why?"

"Rose is _gorgeous_," she said emphatically. "Men don't look twice at me when she's around."

"Bella, I haven't been able to take my eyes off of you since you walked in that door," I confessed.

"You haven't?" she half-whispered. I shook my head. We sat there in silence for several minutes, just studying each other's faces. After what seemed like forever, Bella frowned and broke eye contact to glance around the bar. "Is it just me, or has Rose been gone for a really long time?"

She was right, I realized. Her friend had been gone for a while. "Should we go look for her?"

"Look for who?" We both turned to see Rosalie approaching our booth from the opposite direction of the ladies' restroom. Bella and I shared a curious look before she rose from the booth and stood by her friend. I rose too, and stood behind Bella – close enough to smell the fruity scent of her hair.

"Where have you been?"

"I thought you and your cowboy could use some time to get to know each other," Rosalie said, shrugging. Bella narrowed her eyes at her friend for a moment, and then they widened.

"You had _sex!_"

I blinked in surprise and my eyes moved to Rosalie, whose face was flushed.

"And what if I did?"

"But – but you _argued _with him the whole time we were sitting here!" Bella pointed out incredulously. Rosalie shrugged.

"I've slept with lots of men I hated. Doesn't change the fact that they were good in bed – or in this case, in his truck." Bella turned and threw her hands in the air.

"Does he do this a lot?" I laughed uncomfortably.

"Yeah – Emmett's kind of the loose one of our group – no offense meant," I said, directing this last at Rosalie. She shrugged again and inspected her nails.

"Works for me. Can we leave now, Bella? You'll get to see your man-meat tomorrow." I started to laugh, but quickly turned it into a cough when I saw that Bella's hands were clenched into tight fists. Rosalie turned and began walking towards the door. Bella turned and gave me a helpless look.

"I'm sorry," she said, shaking her head. I laughed.

"You have nothing to apologize for. That's something else you should probably know about me – I'm generally pretty easygoing."

"That's good to know," she said, her shoulders relaxing just a bit. "So apparently I have to leave – what time do you want to meet back here tomorrow?"

"Four thirty too early?"

"No, that's fine. It'll give me plenty of time to shop."

"I don't want you buying groceries for a dinner at _my_ house," I said, frowning. She rolled her eyes.

"You can pay me back by buying the beer – and maybe a bottle of wine for Rose," she said. "You're not allergic to any food, are you?"

"No."

"Good. Thanks for having my crazy friends and I over," she said, sounding shy. "I can't wait."

"Me neither."

"Goodbye, Edward," she said, biting down on her bottom lip. I rubbed the back of my neck nervously and hoped like hell that I wasn't blushing as hard as it felt like I was blushing.

"Goodbye, Bella." I watched as she turned and walked away.

Watching the distance grow between our bodies was the hardest thing I had ever done.


	2. Chapter 2

"Oh my _god_! Could Alice have _been_ any more transparent?" Bella asked, tugging gently on the end of a strand of hair. Rosalie spared her a sideways glance, and then turned her attention back to the road. She didn't bother to try and suppress her smirk.

"What are you whining about?" Rosalie asked, snorting. "Everyone at the table could tell that you two were-"

"Rose," Bella warned, narrowing her eyes.

"What? All I was going to say was that you were both making eyes at each other."

"Right, I'm sure that that's _exactly_ what you were going to say."

"It was. Everyone could see that you two were attracted to each other."

"Oh god," Bella groaned, sinking lower in her seat.

"The very least you could've done was kiss the poor guy and put him out of his misery. He stared at your mouth for ten solid minutes."

"He did?" Bella perked up, eyeing her friend suspiciously.

"Please. And all that crap you guys spouted about kids and Texas and-"

"It wasn't crap," Bella defended hotly. "I _love_ Texas. I want lots of kids. I wasn't lying."

"And you wouldn't mind having them with Edward, either. I get it. You want lots of – how did Alice put it? – sex and babies." Bella giggled right along with her friend. "Alice is such a slut."

"Says the girl who hooked up with someone in a truck." Bella gave her a pointed look, and Rosalie shrugged.

"What can I say? The sex is better when I'm angry."

"He must've really gotten under your skin. He sure was good looking, though," Bella hedged, watching Rosalie.

"More's the pity. He's an asshole."

"You don't think you were kind of mean to him?"

"Mean? No. Honest? Yes. It's not my fault if the guy can't handle the truth."

"You're going to be nice to him tonight, right?" Bella asked worriedly. She wanted Edward to like her. She'd done nothing but think about him all night, which hadn't made for a good, restful sleep like she'd needed. She didn't want him to dislike her just because her friend had slept with his friend and then ignored him. She would understand if that happened, because Edward seemed like someone who was loyal to his friends, but that didn't mean that she would like it. Actually, it would probably break her heart if he decided that he didn't like her.

"Speaking of your little boy toy," Rosalie began, "Do you know who he is? More importantly, do you know who his mother is?"

"Apparently you do," Bella shot back. "How did you know her name, anyway?"

"You're kidding, right? Esme Cullen is one of the biggest names in interior design right now."

"Interior design? You know I don't follow stuff like that." She sighed.

"Well if you and the cowboy wind up getting married and having lots of sex and babies," she said. Bella blushed. "Then maybe you could put a good word in with your mother in law for me. I'd kill to have her do even one room in my condo – even if it's just the bathroom!"

"We just met, Rose. Isn't it a little early to be talking about marriage already?"

"Alice just met that other guy last night, and you heard what she said in the bathroom. She's planning their wedding already."

"I would say it worries me, but it's Alice, so…" Bella shrugged, and Rosalie laughed.

"I know, right? He'd better be good to her, is all I can say."

"Do you think it's weird that we're not even discussing the potential that he might be a psycho killer who takes women home to slaughter them?"

"Why do you have to take it there? Don't be stupid. Everyone there knew him by name. Besides, if Alice trusted him, so do I. He seemed nice."

"So did Emmett," Bella hedged carefully. Rosalie stiffened.

"He was a good lay, I'll give him that. That's about all I can say for him. His personality is like sandpaper." Bella remained silent as Rose pulled into the bar's parking lot. Her heart was racing at the thought of seeing Edward again, and suddenly it was the only thing she could think about. _He_ was the only thing she could think about. "Speaking of laying someone – if you get the chance, you should totally attack your guy. You need the release, and he looked like he had very _strong_ hands." Bella turned to level a glare at Rose, but instead her gaze landed just beyond her friend. There he was, leaning against the side of a rusty red pickup truck. When he caught her eye, his face lit up, and the smile he gave her made her stomach feel like it was doing backflips. Rose sighed.

"Why don't you ride over there in his death trap with him? I'll follow you guys there." Rose suggested. Bella scrambled to unlock her seat belt. "Jesus, at least the asshole's truck was from this century." Bella ignored her and got out, barely remembering to close the car door behind her.

"Hi," Edward said shyly, his cheeks pink. It was the most adorable thing Bella had ever seen.

"Hi," she answered, her smile so big that it almost hurt. "Is it okay if I ride with you? Rose-"

"That would be nice," he interrupted, his smile widening. Bella bit down lightly on her bottom lip to keep from giggling. She didn't miss the way his eyes darted down to her mouth, and then back up. "I'd love for you to ride out to the ranch with me. It'll give me some time to get to know you better."

"That would be nice," Bella agreed. For a moment, they just stood there, smiling at each other.

"Are we going to leave anytime soon, or are you two just going to stand there and eye-fuck each other?" Rose asked through the open window. Bella could feel her face heating.

"Rose!" she hissed angrily, turning to shoot her friend a dirty look. Rose smiled unrepentantly and shrugged. Edward cleared his throat and opened the passenger side door of his truck.

"After you," he said, grinning at her. She smiled and lifted herself into the truck, biting down on her lip again when he closed the door behind her. It seemed like it had been ages since any man had opened a door for her at all, let alone a car door.

"So," she began, after he'd pulled out of the parking lot. "How was your day?"

"It just got a hell of a lot better," he said, smiling at her. She felt her cheeks warm up again, and she smiled back. "It wasn't a bad day. Emmett and Jasper were polar opposites today, so that made it … interesting."

"Was Emmett angry?"

"I wouldn't say angry, really. Distracted, yes, but not angry."

"And Jasper?"

"Jasper had his head in the clouds all day long," Edward laughed, shaking his head. "He was so out of it that I doubt he knew whether to scratch his watch or wind his butt." Bella giggled, and he smiled at her again. "But I'm beginning to think I understand the feeling." She bit down on her bottom lip again, this time trying to stifle the pleased smile that was trying to surface.

"What did Alice do all day, then?" She wondered aloud.

"She distracted Jasper, of course." He chuckled and turned down a gravel road. "She damn near annoyed the living daylights out of Emmett, what with all the questions she asked."

"She was with you guys all day?" She tried to keep the note of jealousy out of her voice. What she would have given to have seen Edward working all day around his ranch… her mind ran wild with the possibilities, and she squirmed uncomfortably in her seat. Edward frowned, mistaking her discomfort for something else.

"Is that okay?" His brow furrowed with worry. Bella found that she really wanted to smooth it out with her fingertips, and then her lips. Maybe she'd been around Rose too long, because suddenly all she could think about was sex. "He said he didn't want to leave her at home alone, because she was new to town, and I didn't really mind that she was there, because she didn't get in the way of anything."

"No, it's fine," she said, trying not to stare at his profile. God, he really was amazingly attractive. Had she not noticed everything last night because of the bar's dim lighting? His eyes were the most beautiful shade of green. His hair was such an unusual mixture of brown and copper, and his neck… God help her, but she wanted to kiss down the length of it so, _so_ badly.

"Bella?" She was startled into focusing back on his face, which was a little pink. "We're here. Are you okay?"

"Yes," she said, giving him what she hoped was a reassuring smile. She glanced around. "I guess I just overthink things sometimes."

"Are you sure you want to … I mean, you don't have to feel obligated to cook for me. I mean, us – just because your friend-"

"Edward," she said, gently laying her hand on his right forearm, "I don't mind. I want to cook for you." She could see the way his throat moved when he swallowed, and it made the interior of the truck feel like the temperature had gone up a hundred degrees.

"Okay then, if you're sure." His voice was soft, and it sent shivers down Bella's spine. Is that what he would sound like when they were in bed? She realized her thought and her eyes widened. "What is it?"

She shook her head to clear the fog from it, and smiled at him. "Nothing. I've just spent too much time around Rose, is all."

"You're sure everything is okay?"

"Yes, Edward. I'm fine. I'm happy to be here – I'm happy to be with you." She blurted it out before she could stop herself, but when she saw the pleased look on her face, she was glad she'd said it. Tanya couldn't have been very nice to him, she thought, if he was so easily pleased by her just wanting to be there.

"Okay. Let me show you around my home, then." He got out of the truck, and just as Bella had suspected that he might, walked around and opened the door for her to get out. He even held his hnd out to help steady her. She slipped her hand into his, and shivered slightly. His hand, though callused from his work, was warm and gentle. She was happy when he didn't let go of her, and instead held her hand to lead her towards the house that she hadn't even noticed until now.

"This doesn't look like a farm house to me," she breathed, taking it in. He chuckled.

"No, I imagine it doesn't. It's not a typical farm house. Momma designed it herself. It's mostly meant for a big family to live here – I don't need all this room, but maybe someday…" he trailed off and shrugged without looking at her.

"Holy shit." Bella turned to see Rose nearing them. She'd almost forgotten about her friend, and she felt a momentary pang of guilt for it. "This is fucking incredible."

"Thanks," Edward said, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. Rose pointedly looked at their joined hands, and then back up at Bella, who smiled brightly. Rose rolled her eyes. "But I can't take credit. I was just telling Bella that this is Momma's doing." Rose's eyes brightened considerably as Edward opened the door.

"You don't keep it locked?" Rose asked, frowning. Edward shook his head.

"There's only one way onto the ranch, and it's monitored by cameras. Besides, Emmett and Jasper are already here." At Emmett's name, Rose's eyes narrowed.

"Well, show us around," Rose prompted, following him inside. Bella didn't know what to look at first. The door they'd come in had led straight into a huge kitchen and dining room area. The ceilings were high, there were beautiful polished wood floors, and – holy hell – the appliances were all stainless steel. Were those marble counter tops?

"I think the tour is maybe over for Bella," Rose said, smirking. Bella was loathe to do it, but she let go of Edward's hand to explore the kitchen. There was an island in the middle of the floor with tons of counter space and a sink. The stove was behind her, against the wall, and it was a flat top – and there was a grill installed right next to it. The refrigerator was industrial sized, though it had an ice maker installed on one door. It also appeared to dispense filtered water.

"I could live in this room," Bella breathed, looking up at the huge window that was directly above the island. There was a beautiful wooden table surrounded by ten matching chairs, and it all sat in front of windows that stretched from the floor to the ceiling.

"Until you see the bedroom, anyway," chirped Alice, walking into the room. Jasper was right behind her, and they were both grinning like Cheshire cats. Bella ignored them in favor of the open door that was beside the fridge. When she poked her head in, she gasped. It was a pantry that was bigger than her apartment's bathroom! There was even a ladder on wheels that reached the topmost shelves. She turned amazed eyes to Edward, who was staring at her with such an intense look that she felt tingles all the way down to her toes.

"While the kitchen is very interesting," Rose began, sounding a little bored, "Can we move on and let Bella drool later?"

Edward shook his head a little, and gave Rosalie a quick smile before motioning for her to follow him. Bella gaped for a moment more at the kitchen, her pulse quickening at the thought that she was going to get to play around in it later. Alice moved to her side and looped an arm through hers, making sure that they lagged at the back of the small group.

"Well? Are you totally head over heels in love, or what?" Alice demanded, her smile wide and knowing. Bella shrugged and felt her face heat up. Alice squealed, which caused Edward to look over his shoulder at them. His curious look moved from Alice to Bella, and he gave her a soft smile before turning back and launching into an answer to some question that Rose had asked him about the living room that they had just come to a stop in.

"You should spend the night here with him," Alice suggested, nodding to herself as she looked around the room. Bella's jaw dropped.

"I can't do that!"

"Why not?" Alice's genuine confusion almost made Bella want to laugh. Almost.

"I just met him yesterday."

"So? I just met Jasper yesterday, and I already know that I'm going to marry him. Rose just met Emmett yesterday and they're going to get married." Bella snorted, drawing the attention of the blonde, who frowned before she turned back to Edward.

"They are _not_ going to get married. She hates him."

"They had sex last night within hours of meeting."

"So? You don't have to like someone to have sex with them," Bella whispered back pointedly. Edward was leading them down a hallway, pointing out various rooms, but she was having trouble concentrating on anything other than the way his body moved as he walked. Alice elbowed her side. "Ouch!"

"Seriously, just find a side room and attack him, already," Alice suggested. Bella gasped, scandalized.

"I will not!"

"Get it out of your system! You're going to drive both of you insane until you do."

"I just met him!" She hissed. "What about that don't you get? I do not jump into bed with men right after I've met one!"

"How's it any different from a one night stand?"

"It's not, but-"

"So jump him! Have some fun. I would say that you need to see if there's any physical chemistry there first, but I can guarantee it in your case, considering the way you look at each other."

"And how's that?" Bella snapped, flustered. She didn't need Alice's encouragement to ogle Edward's backside any more than she already had been. They came to a stop outside a set of closed double doors on either side of the hallway.

"This is one of the guest rooms," Edward explained, opening one set of doors. Alice grinned.

"What's that room?" she asked, nodding her head towards the set of closed doors.

"Um," Edward began, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. "That's my room." Bella felt the heat right down to her painted toenails.

"Can we see it?" Rose asked eagerly. "I'd love to see a masculine bedroom designed by your mom!" Bella's eyebrows shot up, and Rose shrugged. "What? She usually does bedrooms in feminine colors, or makes them neutral – as a rule, she doesn't usually do masculine rooms."

"She did Jasper's," Alice piped up. Rose's eyes jerked to the side, where Jasper leaned against the wall, and he nodded.

"She also did Emmett's," Jasper drawled, his eyes still focused on Alice. He missed Rose's gaping mouth. "She did Emmett's entire house, actually."

"That Neanderthal has a _house?_" Rose blurted.

"Where did you think he lived?" Bella asked, amused.

"In a cave," Rose snapped. Bella bit her lip to keep from laughing, but there was no mistaking her friend's predatory look of interest. Alice turned back to Edward.

"Do we get to see your room?"

"Um," he said again, clearly embarrassed.

"You don't have to," Bella said. Everyone's eyes turned to her. "What? A bedroom is a sacred space. Why would you want him to share it with everyone?" Rose's eyes narrowed in disappointment. Alice aimed a calculating look at her. All Bella could see, though, was the grateful smile that Edward bestowed on her.

When Edward had showed everyone all that there was to see, the group slowly moved back to the kitchen. When they got there, Edward seemed unsurprised to see Emmett unloading bags of groceries onto the island.

"What did you bring?" Edward asked, moving to help.

"Just what short stuff over there told me to," Emmett said, nodding towards Alice. Alice smiled and clapped excitedly before moving to lean into Jasper. Her back pressed against his front, and he wrapped his arms around her waist before leaning in to press a kiss to the spot behind her left ear. She giggled and snuggled up closer to him. Bella turned away, feeling as though she'd interrupted something intimate, and her eyes met Edward's. The look he was giving her shouldn't have made her feel as lightheaded as it did, but how could she help it, when he was looking at her as though she was something to eat? She cleared her throat and turned to Emmett.

"What did she have you buy?"

"Some special cheese, elbow macaroni, potatoes," Emmett listed, looking through his purchases. "I bought some meat, since I kill at the grill." Jasper murmured his agreement. Bella sighed.

"I thought I was supposed to buy the groceries?" She asked, putting her hands on her hips and turning to Edward. He grinned.

"Now, what kind of gentleman would I be if I let my guest buy the food? You're already cooking it, which makes me feel bad enough."

"Men," she huffed, without heat. Rosalie rolled her eyes, and Alice giggled. "All right, but you're all going to need to get out of my way. Shoo! Out of my kitchen." Edward's smile nearly split his face in half as her friends, who were well aware of how controlling she was in her kitchen at home, left the room. Alice pulled Jasper behind her, and Emmett, though he kept his distance from her, followed Rose out into the living room. Edward lingered for a moment.

"Do you need any help finding anything?" He wondered aloud.

"Just point me in the general direction of your pots and pans and your utensil drawer, and I'll be good to go. Also, do you mind if I raid your pantry?"

"Not at all." He was still grinning as he moved past her to open cabinets so she could see their contents. "Pots and pans down here, and plates and cups up top." He opened what had appeared to be a sliding wooden door, and Bella felt her jaw drop for what felt like the hundredth time that day. The door he'd opened revealed two convection ovens, one stacked on top of the other.

"I want to live in your kitchen," she admitted breathlessly, moving to stand next to him so she could examine the ovens more closely. "If you don't really cook, why do you have a kitchen like this?"

"Momma designed it, remember?" He said, his ears turning pink. "I think she was holding out hope that either I'd learn to use it, or I'd marry someone who knew how." She turned to look at him, but his eyes were averted to the floor. They were standing so close…

"I think every mom wants that for her son," she said, nodding. "She just wants to know that he's going to be taken care of the way she would do it." His eyes darted up to hers, and her breath caught in her throat. He was so beautiful. If he would just lean a little bit closer, their lips would be touching. Maybe he was as shy as she was , though, because he seemed frozen in place, just like she felt.

"Hey, Edward," Emmett began, barreling into the room. He stopped as soon as his eyes fell on his friend and Bella, who jumped apart self-consciously. "Aw, hell. I didn't mean to interrupt anything, I just needed-"

"It's okay, Emmett," Edward said, shaking his head. He cleared his throat. "What did you need?" He followed Emmett out of the kitchen, leaving Bella leaning against the counter and trying to clear her head.


	3. Chapter 3

It hadn't escaped Edward's notice that Bella had called it "her kitchen." God, how he already wanted it to be that! She was so adorable – the way that she bit her lip when she was nervous or embarrassed, the way she scrunched her nose up slightly when she was trying to make up her mind about something – and definitely the way her lips parted and her breathing got shallow when they were close to each other.

Unfortunately, even though he could read the signs and knew that she was physically attracted to him (as he was to her – _god,_ how he was), he could also tell that if anything was going to happen between them, he was likely going to have to be the one to make the first move. Normally that wouldn't be a problem, but he liked Bella more than any other woman he'd ever met, and he was terrified that he was going to make a mess of things.

He sat in one of the many comfortable chairs on his back porch and watched his friends interacting with Bella's friends. Rose was obviously frustrated because Emmett hadn't so much as looked in her direction since he'd arrived. He hadn't acknowledged her presence at all, which was making her increasingly volatile. She had taken to making snide comments about the size of his penis, the quality of his lovemaking, and even the truck that he drove. Edward had to give his friend credit – he seemed damn near impervious to anything she was saying. In fact, he wouldn't have thought it bothered his friend at all, if it hadn't been for the slight tic of Emmett's right eye when Rosalie spoke.

As for Alice and Jasper, they appeared to be lost in their own little world for the most part. There were a lot of stolen kisses, during which Edward and Rosalie glanced away. Emmett was manning the grill, so his back was turned to them – something that he'd most likely done on purpose to avoid looking at Rosalie, who had taken off her t-shirt in the heat of the evening, revealing a skin-tight, low-cut tank top.

Edward joined in the conversation as prompted, but for the most part, his thoughts never drifted far away from the brunette who was currently making herself at home in his kitchen. The thought made him smile. Was it jumping the gun, he wondered, thinking about her as a permanent fixture in his home? He closed his eyes and let the setting sun warm his face. He could definitely picture her running his home – children running everywhere, her giving them warm chocolate chip cookies when they returned from school, her greeting him with kisses at the end of every day on the ranch – and every other waking moment, too…

"Dude." Edward's pleasant reverie was interrupted by Emmett, who he found giving him an odd look.

"What?"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, why?" Edward glanced over to see Alice and Jasper giving him knowing looks, and Rosalie rolling her eyes.

"You were just smiling off into nothing. I've been saying your name for five minutes."

"Oh," Edward said, sitting up a bit straighter. "Sorry. What did you want?"

"Can you go ask the little woman if she's close to being finished? These only have three minutes, tops," he said, gesturing towards the thick steaks. Edward nodded and rose from his chair.

"Why didn't you just ask one of us to go do it?" Rosalie snapped, frowning. Finally showing some signs of agitation, Emmett rolled his eyes to the sky and stared at it as he answered.

"Because, Blondie, Edward has a thing for your friend, and I thought it would give him an excuse to go and talk to her alone. Or maybe I did it because you are guests here, and it would have been rude to ask. Take your pick, but for the love of God, stop your bitching at me." Rosalie looked as though she couldn't decide between being incensed or surprised. She finally settled on a mixture of both. Edward pushed down his embarrassment long enough to give her an apologetic smile before heading back into the house.

It wasn't that he was embarrassed that he liked Bella so much so quickly, it was more that he was generally a private person who didn't like his personal business announced to everyone. Still, it _was_ just his two best friends and her two best friends… funny, he thought, how they both had the same number of best friends. It was almost something like fate.

When he entered the kitchen, he paused just on the threshold so he could watch Bella in her element. She'd pulled her long hair up and secured it on top of her head in a bun with – were those sticks? Some errant strands of hair had broken loose and were floating around her face. He smiled as she absently brushed one away with the back of her hand. Her face was flushed and she was moving around very quickly – he could easily see that she was concentrating, so he was loathe to bother her.

"Bella?"

She uttered a tiny scream and dropped the wooden spoon she'd been holding. She turned, anger written all over her face, until she saw that it was Edward. She pressed a shaking hand to her heart.

"Sorry, you just startled me," she breathed.

"I'm sorry about that," he said. "Emmett just wanted me to come and check to see how close you were to being finished, since the meat is almost finished. Do you need any help with anything?"

"Actually, if you want to pull the macaroni out of the oven, that would be a huge help," she admitted, tossing the wooden spoon into the sink. Edward did as he was told and put the pan on the stovetop. He couldn't resist moving a little closer to inhale the aroma.

"This smells incredible, Bella," he breathed, turning to look at her. He couldn't tell if she was blushing or if the heat of the kitchen had gotten to her, but her cheeks were pink. He noticed that there were several bowls on the island counter, and he moved closer to peek into them. One held mashed potatoes with green flecks, one held salad greens, one held broccoli, one held a mixture of sliced fruit, and when he lifted the tea towel that covered the last one, he found that it held biscuits. "You did all of this?"

"Um, yeah," she said, checking that the macaroni was the way she wanted it. "Sorry, I would've done more, but I-"

"More?" he boggled, looking at the food, and then back at her. "This is a ton of food!"

"I'm sorry," she said, looking away from him. "I just thought that since you guys are cowboys and you work outside all day, you were hungrier than – I mean, I thought – I don't know what I was thinking. I think I was just showing off. I'm sorry."

"Bella, no," he said, moving closer. She looked damn near tears, and he couldn't handle that. "No, sweetheart. I didn't mean it that way." He put his hands on her shoulders and rubbed gently with his thumbs. "I was surprised that you got so much done, since it doesn't seem like you had much time to do it in. I forget that you've never seen Emmett eat – there will be nothing left." When she laughed softly, he shook his head and remained serious. "I am so far from kidding, you have no idea. And also, can I tell you that I kind of love that you wanted to show off for me? I mean, I _hope_ it was for me."

"It is," she said, biting her lip and peeking up at him from beneath the fringe of her lashes.

"Well, let me tell you, I am impressed." She laughed at his smile, and shook her head.

"You haven't even tasted anything yet," she pointed out. "What if you hate it?"

"Impossible."

"You know, you've got something on your nose," she said, using it as an excuse to reach up and touch the tip of his nose with her finger. "It appears to be a little brown." He grinned and ducked his head.

"Too much?"

"Just enough."

They stood and stared at each other, goofy smiles plastered on their faces, for several moments.

"Bella?" His heart leapt into his throat. Was he really going to do this? He looked into her eyes, still sparkling with their shared amusement, and decided that yes, he definitely was going to do this.

"Yes, Edward?"

"Would you like to stay the night with me?" She sucked in a breath, but she never looked away from him. "You could use the guest room across from mine, if you'd like. I just – I don't think I'm going to be ready to let you go at the end of the night." He watched as several emotions moved across her face, and when she finally seemed to settle on one, his heart pounded in his ears.

"Do you _want_ me to use the guest room?" She asked, her voice soft but clear. He could tell that she was nervous, because his hands were still on her shoulders, and she was trembling slightly.

"As a gentleman, I will say yes. As just a man, I will say I'd prefer to have you somewhere else."

"Which answer should I consider?" She asked, tilting her head.

"Whichever one makes you say yes," he said honestly. Her face turned pink, and she bit her lip for a moment before answering.

"Okay." Her voice was barely above a whisper. He felt his eyes widen, and then he pulled her into a full hug, wrapping his arms around her. She closed her eyes and snuggled her face closer to his chest, inhaling his scent and enjoying the nearness. When he rubbed her back gently, he could swear he heard her purring.

"As much as I'd like to stay like this forever – and believe me, I _would_ like to – I think that our friends will get upset if we don't get their dinner out to them." She sighed and pulled away.

"You're right." She cleared her throat and smoothed imaginary wrinkles out of the front of her shirt before turning around and grabbing a stack of plates. "Ready?" Without waiting for an answer, she took the plates outside. Edward grabbed two bowls and took them outside, passing her and the other two girls on their way back in. Jasper followed to get the drinks, and within minutes, the patio table was laden with food and ready to go.

Edward looked around the table at both old friends and new, and just watched for a minute as they laughed together and helped themselves to food.

It was a good life.

Hopefully, he thought, looking at Bella – it's about to get even better.


	4. Chapter 4

"Are you gonna eat, dude?" Emmett interrupted Edward's thoughts, waving a plate in front of his face. Edward shook his head a little and took the plate with a smile. He piled the food on his plate and Jasper handed him a beer. He turned to see Bella watching him, and he smiled at her as he scooped some macaroni and cheese up on his fork. As soon as the flavors hit his tongue, he bit back a moan. Bella's macaroni definitely beat his mom's, but he wasn't going to tell his mom that, he thought. He looked over at her, and saw that her face was pink.

"This is incredible," he said honestly. She gave him a pleased smile.

"Thank you," she said quietly. Emmett was a lot more vocal once he tasted it.

"Holy shit, Bella," Emmett bellowed, shoveling another forkful into his mouth. "This is amazing! What is this in it? Bacon? Fuck Edward, maybe you should go out with me."

"Just so she can cook for you? Sexist pig," Rose spat, pushing her food around on her plate.

"A man appreciates a woman who can cook," Emmett said unapologetically. Edward watched Bella bite her lip and exchange a look with Alice, who also remained silent.

"Yeah? Well a woman appreciates a man with lots of money and a big-"

"So Edward," Bella interrupted frantically, turning to him. "Do you work seven days a week?"

"Um," he said, sitting up straighter and clearing his throat. His eyes darted between Rose, who was nearly purple with rage, and Emmett, who was eating as though nothing had happened, before settling back on Bella. "No. Sometimes I'll work six days a week, depending on the season, but Sunday is strictly a day of rest. The only thing I do on Sunday is check on the animals' feed and water."

"And do you guys generally hang out together on Sundays, too?" Bella asked, taking a drink from her beer. Edward watched her lips close around the top and shifted in his chair.

"Sometimes, but we haven't made a habit of it. Usually Emmett has home improvement projects, and Jasper uses his day off to catch up on his movies."

"What do you do?"

"Edward reads," Jasper volunteered, helping himself to another biscuit. "Very intellectual, this one." Alice leveled a smug look at Bella, whose eyes locked onto Edward.

"You like to read?" Bella asked. Edward could feel his ears burning.

"Yeah. You?"

"Bella always has her nose stuck in a book," Rose offered, cutting into her steak. She looked away from her food long enough to roll her eyes at the look that Bella was giving Edward. "She won't go out with us on the weekends sometimes because she's so into whatever book she's currently reading."

"Shut up," Bella protested, without heat, and without taking her eyes away from Edward. "What do you like to read?"

"A little bit of everything. I like true crime, mysteries, thrillers, fantasy," he listed. "I stay away from horror, though. What about you? What do you like?"

"She likes bodice rippers!" Alice blurted, clapping her hands together with barely restrained glee. At Edward's confused look (and blatantly ignoring Bella's humiliated look), Alice clarified, "Romance novels."

"Explicit," Rosalie added, taking a long drink of wine afterwards.

"But she only buys the ones with cowboys on the cover," Alice amended.

"Kill me now," Bella whispered, dropping her face into her hands.

"Everyone's got guilty pleasures," Edward offered, shrugging. Bella peeked at him through her fingers.

"Yeah? What's yours, then?" Rosalie challenged, arching a perfectly waxed eyebrow at him.

"Lifetime movies," Edward said, the tips of his ears turning pink, and then red. Bella dropped her hands and smiled at him.

"Me, too." His answering smile felt like the sunrise to Bella. Rosalie snorted. Emmett stopped shoveling food into his mouth long enough to glance at her.

"All right, what's yours, then?" Emmett challenged. Rosalie's face turned several shades of red before she sputtered a reply.

"Oh, so _now_you acknowledge me, when you want to know a dirty little secret? I don't think so, asshole." She folded her arms across her chest and looked away.

"Well, if it's too embarrassing to share," Emmett said, shrugging and going back to his food. Rose's nostrils flared.

"Do you actually think I'll answer you just because you call me chicken?" She snapped. "How old are you, five?"

"It's not my fault that you're embarrassed. It must be pretty bad, though, if you won't tell us. Shit, Edward watches chick flicks voluntarily and without a chick present. What could be worse than that? No offense, man," he added, looking at Edward. Edward smiled a little.

"None taken."

"I'm not embarrassed," Rose insisted. "I just don't see the point of sharing anything with _you_."

"Whatever," Emmett said, reaching for his beer.

"Yours is probably gay porn," Rose sniffed. Emmett choked on his mouthful of beer, and Rose wore a satisfied smirk.

"Well at least we know yours isn't porn. You're too much of a frigid bitch for that." And Rose's satisfied smirk was suddenly gone, morphing into barely contained rage.

"I need to go to the bathroom," Alice declared, jumping up suddenly. She grabbed Rose's hand and tugged on it. "I can't go alone. Come on, Rose." Rose followed Alice into the house, but shot withering looks over her shoulder at Emmett.

"Jesus, Em," Jasper said, exhaling slowly. "Do you have a death wish or something? She looked like she was about to take your head off just now."

"I can't help it, man. She brings out the worst in me. She's such a bitch. Sorry," he added, shooting Bella an apologetic look. She shook her head and looked down at the table, toying with the label on her beer bottle.

"I don't understand why you guys keep fighting," she admitted. "Why did you sleep with her if you hate her so much?"

Emmett frowned, but didn't answer.

"So," Bella began, clearing her throat. "You and Alice, huh?" Jasper's grin could only be described as what Bella had once heard referred to as 'shit-eating.'

"Yes, ma'am."

"That was fast."

"What can I say? When you know, you know. I knew as soon as I laid eyes on her that she was the one."

"_The_ one?" Emmett scoffed. "You knew from one look?"

"Didn't you?" Jasper wondered aloud. Emmett's frown deepened.

"Fuck this," he breathed, standing up and walking away from the table. Bella watched him go, and then turned to Edward.

"Is he going to be okay?"

"He'll be fine."

"He's fighting it pretty hard," Jasper observed, watching as Emmett went about putting together a makeshift fire pit.

"Fighting what, exactly?" Bella wondered.

"He is so attracted to your friend; I think it's scared him shitless."

"They already had sex," Bella said, confusion etched across her features. "And they've done nothing but fight like cats and dogs today."

"Anger is a passionate emotion," Jasper said, shrugging. It was at that point that the two women returned to the table. Alice lowered herself into Jasper's lap and pressed her lips to his quickly before turning back to the table. Rose seemed a little calmer – at least her face was back to its normal shade. Bella didn't miss the way Rose's eyes darted around until they found Emmett, though.

"What did we miss?" Alice asked.

"Edward and Bella and I were just discussing how you know when you've met _the one_." Jasper smiled softly at her, and Alice snuggled a little closer to him. Rose frowned.

"When you know, you just know." Alice shrugged, and Edward and Bella exchanged amused looks. "What is Emmett doing, anyway?"

"He's getting the fire pit ready," Edward said, throwing a glance over his shoulder. "When the sun sets completely and it's dark, we can go sit around the fire and roast marshmallows for dessert."

"Dessert," Bella said, perking up. "I made a dessert."

"What did you make?" Alice asked, looking pointedly at the abundance of food still on the table. "I'm not sure I could eat anything right now."

"I made a caramel apple pie," Bella offered, looking around at the men.

"Forget marshmallows," Edward said quickly, pushing his half-full plate away. "I think I want a slice of that pie right now, before I finish my dinner."

"I'll go get it," Rose suddenly offered, rising from the table and disappearing into the house. Alice frowned after her, but didn't say anything.

"So," Alice began, glancing between Edward and Bella. "How are the two of you getting along?"

"Just fine," Edward said, looking a little bewildered. He looked sideways at Bella, who looked just a little bit embarrassed.

"We're getting along very well, Alice, not that it's any of your business."

"So what are we doing tomorrow?"

Edward blinked at Alice's sudden change of subject.

"We as in, you and I?" Bella asked, gesturing between them. Alice rolled her eyes.

"No, we as in you and Edward."

"Well, that would be between he and I, wouldn't it?" Bella asked defensively. Alice's eyes widened, and she took in the small smile that curved Edward's lips upward.

"You're staying the night!" Alice accused shrilly. Bella's jaw dropped open, and Jasper wrapped his arms around Alice to keep her from falling right off of his lap.

"How in the hell-" Bella sputtered, her cheeks pinking.

"How did you _do_ that?" Edward asked at the same time. It was Jasper's turn to look surprised.

"You mean it's true?" he asked incredulously. Bella chewed on her bottom lip, and Edward's leg bounced up and down nervously.

"It's something that I think we'd like to keep between ourselves," was all that Edward would say. Jasper stared at his friend for a long time in silence before a slow smile curved his lips upward.

"When you know, you know." Edward turned his eyes down to look at the table, but not before glancing at Bella and smiling almost shyly.

"We are not finished discussing this," Alice promised, pointing at Bella. "But I have to ask… where are Emmett and Rose?"


	5. Chapter 5

"Are you kidding?" Jasper murmured, looking around. "They just snuck off together again?"

"Why do you think they're together?" Edward asked, reaching for his beer.

"As a rule, Rose doesn't ever just offer to do something she considers to be a chore," Alice supplied, laughing.

"Why do you think that Emmett didn't just go to the bathroom, or something?" Edward wondered aloud.

"Isn't that the excuse that one of them used last night?"

"Whatever the case," Bella said, shaking her head, "I just wish they'd be nice to each other around the rest of us."

"Pardon me, Bella, but I don't think I want to see what they consider 'nice,'" Jasper said. Alice snickered. "Why don't Edward and I go ahead and move some chairs near the fire pit?" he offered. Edward nodded and rose from his seat, following Jasper around the side of the house. Alice moved to sit next to Bella, who sighed. It was grilling time, it seemed.

"Sooooo," Alice began. Bella smiled.

"So what?"

"You're seriously going to make me fish for details?"

"Details about what?"

"Bella," Alice whined, stomping her foot. Bella laughed.

"What?"

"Are you going to stay the night? Really?"

"He asked me to," Bella said softly, playing with a loose thread on the hem of her t-shirt.

"This is a big move for you."

"What is? I said I was staying the night, not that we were going to have sex." Alice frowned.

"Isn't that what's implied by the phrase 'staying the night'?"

"He said if I would feel more comfortable that I could use the guest room across from his room."

"So you don't think he expects sex?"

"It didn't sound like he did. He did say…" Bella trailed off and cleared her throat.

"What? What did he say? Jesus, Bella! Have some compassion and put me out of my misery! I mean, we've spent the last few months talking about our dream men, and suddenly one night we walk into a bar in the middle of nowhere, and poof! They're all sitting together."

"He said that as a gentleman, he didn't expect me to sleep in his bed. But as a man, he wanted otherwise."

"Ooh," Alice swooned, her hands over her heart. "How romantic! So which one will it be?"

"Huh?"

"Are you going to use the guest room, or are you going to sleep in his room?"

"I don't know," Bella admitted, biting her lip. "I mean, on one hand, I'd like to take things slow and get to know him better, just because that's the way I've always done things. I don't want to move too fast and ruin anything before it's begun."

"And on the other hand…?" Alice prodded.

"On the other hand, I want to throw caution to the wind and spend the night exploring whatever this thing is between us."

"Why do you feel like you have to go slow? I vote option two. Definitely jump his bones the second we're gone." Alice nodded, and Bella laughed even though her cheeks felt like they were on fire.

"Aren't you afraid of messing things up with Mr. Right?" Bella asked, inclining her head towards Jasper. Alice shook her head.

"Nope. He's the one. We're going to get married."

"Okay, as much as I love you, I have to admit that it kind of freaks me out to know that you're talking about marrying someone you just met."

"We both know it's what we want," Alice said, shrugging. Her eyes moved to watch Jasper as he worked, and Bella's eyes were drawn to Edward. She watched as he moved around the fire, laughing with his friend as he worked. "And it looks like you and your man won't be far behind us."

"Hmm? Oh," Bella gasped, snapping to attention. "No, Alice. We just met yesterday-"

"And you're already staying the night," Alice pointed out.

"But that doesn't mean we're going to have sex," Bella hissed.

"But you want to."

"Alice, I swear to-"

"Rose has already attacked her boy toy twice, Jasper and I pretty much did it all night, and-"

"Alice!" Bella shrieked, causing both men to stop and glance over from the fire pit before resuming their work.

"What?"

"Those are things that I just don't need to know!"

"What doesn't she need to know?" Both women turned to see Rose carrying the pie towards them. Bella would've almost believed that nothing had happened, if Rose's lipstick hadn't been smudged and her blouse was buttoned correctly – which it wasn't.

"Did you get it out of your system?" Alice voiced Bella's thought.

"Please," Rose scoffed, rolling her eyes and placing the dessert on the table.

"Rose," Alice started. Rose shook her head.

"I was worked up, that's all. I don't want to talk about it. Now, fill me in on what Bella doesn't need to know." So Alice launched into the details of the previous evening's activities with Jasper, and Bella tuned out to watch the men at work. Emmett rejoined them a few minutes later, and though he appeared silent at first, gradually he began to join in whatever conversation the men had going, and he threw his head back with laughter. Bella saw Rose look over and waited for the biting comment that, surprisingly enough, never came. She turned her attention back to the men, and when Edward looked up and caught her eye, she gave him a small wave and a smile. His answering grin and the shy duck of his head afterwards made her heart feel as though it might be about to burst.

"You've got it so bad," Alice said, breaking into her thoughts.

"Why don't you just screw him and get it over with?" Rose asked, pretending to inspect her fingernails. Bella could see the furtive glances that she shot in Emmett's direction, but Emmett didn't seem to notice that Rose was looking.

"Bella can't do that because she's already in love with him," Alice said, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Aren't you, Bella?"

"I don't even _know_ him, Alice! How can I be in love with him?"

"There's no such thing as love at first sight," Rose protested.

"Of course there is. Why do you two keep denying it? It happened to all three of us last night, and yet for some reason, I'm the only one who's being honest about it."

Bella considered this as she turned back to the men. Did she feel like she loved Edward already? She'd spent an entire year with Jake, and she hadn't felt half of the physical chemistry that she'd felt even just sitting near Edward, that was for certain. Edward shared many of her interests. He seemed to be a decent guy. Bella mentally ticked things off in her head: he loved his mother, he had his own home, he had a steady job, he was down to earth, he liked to read, he was so beautiful that it almost hurt, he seemed to be a gentleman, he –

Oh, God.

Alice was right. She might be a little bit in love with someone she'd just met. When she glanced over at her friend, Alice was watching her with a smug look on her face. Bella couldn't help but roll her eyes. Bella chewed on her bottom lip again, wondering if maybe Edward wasn't a little too good to be true.

"Are you ladies ready?" Jasper asked, approaching the table.

"I'm always ready, Jazzy," Alice exclaimed, launching herself at him. Bella hid her smile and Rose groaned.

"Again, Alice – file that under things we don't need to know," Rose said.

"Ready for a bonfire?" Edward asked, holding his hand out to Bella. She smiled before taking the hand he proffered. He kept a hold of her hand as they walked, which she admitted silently that she loved. He led her to the chairs and waited until she'd chosen one and sat down in it before he chose the one right beside hers.

"You need benches, Edward," Alice pointed out, waiting until Jasper chose a seat and then settling herself in his lap. "It'd be easier to cuddle."

"Who wants to cuddle next to a fire?" Rose snarked.

"You're kidding, right?" Alice asked. Emmett fed the fledgling fire another log before taking a seat across the fire from Rose. "A bonfire is the _perfect_ place to snuggle! The weather is chilly all around, but you have a fire and your sweetheart to cuddle up to to take the edge off."

"Speaking of it being chilly," Edward began softly, leaning towards Bella. "Are you cold? I can get you a blanket, if you need one."

"I'm fine," she said, smiling at him. _There's another positive about him – he's considerate._

"Why didn't anyone offer _me_ a blanket?" Alice pouted. Jasper chuckled and rubbed her arm.

"Because you don't need it with me here. I'll keep you plenty warm." Their lips met, and Rose groaned.

"Keep it in your pants, you two." She had grabbed the wine bottle from the table and was now drinking straight from it.

"Who's got the marshmallows?" Edward asked. Emmett held up the bag, but said nothing. Jasper and Edward exchanged looks before Edward took the bag and opened it. "Anybody want one?"

"I do," Alice squealed, leaving Jasper's lap long enough to grab a handful. Emmett silently handed her one of the sticks that he and Edward had collected. Bella was surprised to see that one of the guys had whittled the bark off of the end that would be going into the marshmallow.

"Bella?" Edward asked, holding out the bag of marshmallows. She shook her head.

"Sorry – I love a good bonfire or campfire, but I've never enjoyed the taste of marshmallows."

"Rosalie?" Edward held the bag up again. Rose shook her head.

"I've got my sweets for the night, thanks," she said, indicating the bottle of wine. Emmett rolled his eyes but didn't say anything before grabbing the bag from Edward.

There were several minutes of peaceful silence, which Bella enjoyed immensely, since the crackle of a good fire was one of her favorite sounds in the entire world. After a while, they chattered about several topics – the weather, music, the weird sound that Alice heard coming from their far right (it turned out to be Edward's cows in the distance). Bella drank two more beers slowly, and by the time they'd decided to let the fire die out, it was one o'clock in the morning. Bella helped Rose and Alice take the food back into Edward's kitchen and wrap it up while the men cleaned up outside.

"Don't overthink this, Bella," Alice said, hugging her friend goodbye. "He's perfect for you. Why waste time when you could be having lots of sex and babies?" She giggled. Rose rolled her eyes, and Bella was glad that the men were off to the side by themselves.

"So you're staying with your boy toy, and you're staying here with yours?" Rose asked. Bella and Alice both nodded. "Well, shit. I'm going to go back to the hotel and get tanked, then."

"Be careful," Bella begged. "Don't do anything stupid or rash."

"You never let me have any fun," Rose pouted. Alice hugged her, too.

"Emmett is going to lead you back into town so you know where you're going. Don't worry, you don't have to talk to him or see him, you'll just have to follow his truck." Rose rolled her eyes.

"Jasper will bring me back to the hotel tomorrow afternoon," Alice said, frowning slightly. "He has to get up too early on Monday morning for me to sleep over again. He knows I have no intention of letting him get any rest when I'm around."

"Do you want us to come and pick you up?" Rose asked, looking at Bella. Bella shrugged.

"I don't know if I need a ride home from you guys, or if Edward's bringing me back. We haven't really talked about how long I'm staying."

"Give me a call and let me know," Rose said, turning towards the driveway. Bella nodded. Alice took off, too, once she'd called her final goodbye over her shoulder. Bella watched as her friends drove away, and then it was just her and Edward. She felt him move closer to her, and she smiled when he reached for her hand.

"I can't tell you how happy it makes me that you stayed," he said quietly, threading his fingers through hers. Bella watched the motion of their hands and felt her heart speed up.

"I can't think of any place I'd rather be."


	6. Chapter 6

**WOW… I am amazed at the number of favorites and followers this story got in the last two weeks – is this posted somewhere that I don't know about? Is someone pimping out one of my stories? Thanks to you, whoever you are!**

To say that Bella was a little nervous was an understatement.

She watched as her friends pulled out of the driveway, and she and Edward stood there and held hands for several minutes after the taillights were no longer visible. She was just beginning to wonder if she should say anything to break the silence when he turned to her.

"Would you like to sit by the fire with me?"

"Yes," she breathed, smiling. They walked hand-in-hand back to the fire, but this time instead of sitting in a chair, Edward let go of her hand (reluctantly, she thought) and pulled over a bale of hay. He draped a small blanket over it and turned to her. "Where did you get that?"

"Jasper brought it over when we were building the fire," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "You're not allergic to the hay, are you?" She loved how worried he suddenly looked. The look of utter relief when she shook her head no was almost comical. "Would you like a drink? There are some sodas left, I think."

"Are there any beers?"

"A woman after my own heart," he said, flattening his palm to his chest for a moment. She sat down on the hay and watched the fire for a few moments. When he returned, she took the beer he proffered her, removed the cap, and took a long drink. He had brought the entire cooler with him, which she smiled at. Apparently he planned on sitting by the fire for a while, which she didn't mind a bit. Edward settled down next to her, and her pulse sped up – their thighs were touching. After a few minutes, she relaxed, and tilted her head upward.

"The stars are so much clearer out here," she murmured. His gaze followed hers, and she could hear the smile in his voice when he spoke.

"Yes, they are. That's something that I've always loved about living in the country, away from all the light pollution of the city. Of course, you can still see stars in the city – just not nearly as many."

"Your house is amazing," Bella said, looking over at him. Even in the darkness, she thought she could see his cheeks darkening.

"Thank you," he said, grinning. "You know I can't really take credit for it, though. Momma decorated everything herself."

"Did you have the house custom built, or…?"

"Yes. My daddy had a friend of his to design and build it – although Momma had a hand in the design, too. How about you? What's your house like?"

"I don't live in a house, I live in a third floor apartment," she corrected. "It's nice enough. It's a studio apartment."

"What's that?" He looked confused. Bella kind of wanted to kiss his nose – it was wrinkled adorably in his confusion.

"It's basically a one room apartment. My bed is the best part. It's built into the wall, and kind of looks like the top part of a bunk bed. Right under it are my desk and a bookshelf." He watched as she gestured with her hands, trying to demonstrate where everything was. "The kitchen is against the opposite wall. And right up against the window is where I put my couch. "

"What about the bathroom?"

"Oh, it's so tiny," she breathed, sighing. Her bathroom had been the biggest letdown of the apartment, and honestly if she hadn't thought the bed was so much fun, she would've kept looking for another place to live. "It's like walking into a closet."

"That sounds awful," he admitted, taking another drink from his bottle. "It makes me even more grateful for all of this," he said, waving his bottle at the inky darkness that blanketed his property. She giggled, and he looked at her.

"I can't really see what you're talking about, Edward," she admitted, still smiling. "It's too dark out here." He smiled back at her, and she giggled again.

"Yeah, sorry."

"I don't really mind my apartment." She shrugged. "It's only me, so I don't need more room – and the price is right. I don't spend much time there, anyway. I work long hours. When I _am_ there, I'm usually just lying in my bed, reading, or maybe binge watching shows on Netflix."

"Speaking of reading," he began, trying to fight back a grin. She eyed him warily, knowing what was coming next. "Exactly how many romance books about cowboys are there?" She grimaced playfully and laughed.

"I _knew_ that one was going to come up sooner or later," she said. He laughed. "There's a lot out there, actually," she admitted.

"How much is a lot?"

"Well, I have an entire bookshelf," she said, gesturing with her hands to show the size. He nodded. "One entire part of that shelf is nothing but cowboy-themed romances." His eyes widened a little, and she giggled again.

"That many?"

"What can I say? I take my cowboys seriously." She bumped her shoulder gently against his, and he nudged her back.

"Are any of them realistic?"

"Edward," she chastised gently. "No romance book that I would buy is going to be anywhere close to being realistic." He laughed again softly.

"Sometimes I think things that can happen are actually better. Fantasy is nice and all, but I don't think it would be very nice to live life hoping for something that couldn't actually happen."

"Yeah, I know you're right. But there's something to be said for men who give up everything to be with the woman they love, or for the women who run away to be with men that their fathers forbid them to ever see again." She sat her empty beer bottle down on the ground and accepted the fresh one he handed her. She hadn't even realized she'd finished the first one.

"I suppose," he conceded, opening a fresh bottle himself. "But why does either one of them have to shun someone they love in order to have that other person? Why can't someone write a book where the couple's families actually _like_ each other so the couple doesn't have to choose between their family and their love interest?" Bella watched him intently, her lips pursed in thought.

"Maybe someone _does_ need to write that book," she mused aloud.

"Maybe someone needs to _live_ that story in order to write the book," Edward answered, grinning crookedly. She bit down gently on her lower lip and gave him a shy smile.

"Maybe they do," she agreed.

"I wouldn't make much of a romance writer anyway," he hedged. "Seeing as how I've never really been in love. What about you?"

"Have I ever been in love?" she echoed. He nodded, both wanting and not wanting to know her answer. "I _thought_ I was, once."

"Tell me about it?" he asked.

"Um… okay." She thought for a minute, wondering if she should tell him everything – and then she decided that she liked this man enough already that she didn't want there to be any secrets between them – just in case the relationship that she was hoping for came to pass. There was a difference between volunteering unnecessary information and giving it when it was specifically asked for, she thought. She took a drink of beer and cleared her throat. "His name was Jake – Jacob, but everyone called him Jake. I met him when we were stationed in Washington state. At first we didn't even like each other. Our dads were friends, and they would go fishing together every weekend. After about two months, my mom made friends with another woman on the reservation. After that, it was kind of inevitable that we would become some kind of friends because we were thrown together every weekend."

"I don't mean to interrupt, but what do you mean by reservation?"

"There's a Quileute reservation near the town we were stationed in."

"I see. Sorry, continue, please."

"It kind of sucked for him, I think," she mused, staring into the fire. "My dad was pretty much gone all the time anyway, since he was a soldier, but Jake was used to having his dad around. Once his dad, Billy, and my dad became friends, he basically lost his dad during the only time he could see him. He went to school during the day, and he had a job at a garage during the week for a few hours every day after school. Anyway, we started hanging out with some of the other kids on the reservation, and I actually got to be pretty close with a few of the girls."

"What was there to do on the reservation?" Edward wondered aloud.

"Not much of anything, other than the beach. I mean, it was Washington, so it was pretty cold and wet a lot of the time, but there were some really amazing days where it was warm and we could swim. Usually the guys would try to surf, if the water was right. We did go cliff diving a few times, though."

"Cliff diving?"

"Yes, it's as stupid as it sounds," she said, laughing. "We would jump off of a cliff into the water. I only did it twice – that was quite enough for me. I liked watching the others do it, though. But Jake was the best. He was so graceful. We started talking and hanging out a lot more by ourselves, and I convinced myself that I was in love with him. He paid attention to me more than the other girls, and he was always doing sweet things – like, he would bring me a drink when he hadn't brought one for anyone else, or sometimes he would surprise me with flowers he'd picked – oh! Once he even made dinner for me, which didn't turn out very good," she said, wrinkling her nose at the memory. Edward chuckled.

"So he treated you right," he observed. Bella 's expression fell a bit, and he wondered at it. "Or didn't he?"

"He started out okay. It was after the first six months had passed, and we had decided to make our relationship official – well, _he _decided, when he announced to the entire rez on the beach one night that I was his girlfriend. After that, things sort of went downhill. When I finally reached the point of realizing that I wanted to break things off, it was horrible. We were fighting every day, he was spending his time with other girls in front of me, and I was crying myself to sleep every night. We talked about it, and he thought that maybe we would be closer if we … _consummated_ our relationship."

"Did he put it like that?"

"Um, no. He used a much more blunt turn of phrase. My dad wasn't very happy when it got back to him."

"What?" Edward looked startled. "How old were you then?"

"Seventeen. Someone at the rez overheard our conversation, and they told Billy, who apparently made a joke about it to my dad. He said something about them being in laws someday. My dad was not happy at all – my mom thought it was funny. I wound up getting a really long, uncomfortable sex talk from my dad, and a trip to the doctor with my mom to discuss birth control."

"If I'm being too forward, you don't have to answer, but … did you?" Bella bit her lip at how obviously uncomfortable Edward looked.

"I did, but it wound up being sort of an accident. We got into a huge fight during a bonfire, and I was so mad, I actually drank the weird kool-aid and vodka drink that the guys made. I drank a lot more than I'd planned on, and he took advantage of that. I wasn't happy the next day, because I didn't remember a whole lot about it. I remember enough to know that he didn't force me, but I don't think I would have done it if I hadn't been so drunk, and I think he knew that, too. That's what finally gave me the courage to break up with him. He got mad and said he never wanted to see me again. Of course, a year later when we moved, he was at the going away party and swore to always stay in contact with me. Every now and then I'll get a text or a call from him. Sometimes I answer, and sometimes I don't…" she shrugged. "He doesn't really seem to care either way. I appreciate that we didn't totally burn that bridge, but at the same time, I don't feel totally comfortable talking too much to him. I don't want him to get the wrong idea, you know?"

"I understand."

"What about you?" she asked, turning so that their knees touched. "Now that I've told you my horrible first time story, do I get to hear yours?" She tilted her head to the side and smiled softly at him. He cleared his throat and grinned.

"I was sixteen," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck, his eyes trained on the ground. "And the girl didn't even really like me all that much – she admitted to me later that she'd only been with me in an effort to try and get to my best friend."

"Emmett or Jasper?"

"Emmett." He blinked and looked over at her. "How did you know it would be one of them?"

"You just seem like the kind of guys who've been best friends forever."

"Yeah, I guess so," he admitted, his grin back.

"I hope Emmett didn't go out with her after that."

"No, he didn't. He made sure that everyone at school knew what she'd done, too. Somehow he made me come out like some kind of hero. I felt bad for her, though, because she moved schools a few months later. I've always felt like somehow I was the reason why."

"Don't feel bad," Bella said, leaning over and resting her head on his shoulder. He reached an arm around her and pulled her even closer, resting his hand on her hip. His thumb rubbed slowly back and forth over the denim. "Anyone who would try to use you to get to someone else isn't worth your time. You deserve someone who wants you for _you_, and not as a means to an end."

"Funny, that's almost exactly what Jasper told me."

"He's a smart guy." Edward chuckled.

"Yeah, he really is. He and Alice seem to have taken a shine to each other."

"Oh my gosh, tell me about it. She's already talking marriage. I've never seen her like this with a guy before."

"I've never seen Jasper with a girlfriend, period."

"Really?"

"Yes. I wouldn't be surprised if they actually do get married, with the way he's acting. The whole time we were over here alone, he was talking about her and how amazing she is."

"We should totally take bets on how long it'll be before they're actually engaged."

"Emmett would love that. He likes nothing better than a good wager."

"You know, I can't figure him and Rose out," she admitted. "They look like they hate each other, but both nights, they've snuck off to have sex."

"Maybe she sees him as a challenge?" he wondered.

"Maybe," she conceded. Then, "I feel so comfortable with you." The hand on her hip gave a light squeeze.

"I feel comfortable with you, too. That's a good thing, right?"

"Absolutely. This is the first time in a very, _very_ long time that I've felt completely comfortable around anyone other than Rose or Alice. I'm so glad we came here. I'm even happier that I met you."

"I am so happy you met me, too," he teased, chuckling when she gently elbowed his side. "I _am_ happy, Bella. I want you to know that. I never imagined that someone like you existed."

"What do you mean, 'someone like me'?"

"I know it seems melodramatic, considering how young I am, but I seriously had almost given up hope of finding anyone that I actually connected with. I didn't actually go out looking for women, but when I did meet one, I like to think I gave her a chance. Like with Tanya, our meeting was an accident, but she was pretty, and she was nice to me. I'd accidentally bumped into her at Newton's sporting goods store while I was looking for some rope. She was looking for – well," he rubbed his cheek with his free hand for a moment while he paused. "I'm not rightly sure what she was looking for. But when I bumped into her, I knocked her on her rear, and things just went from there. I invited her out for a drink." He chuckled, and Bella tilted her head up to look at his face.

"Why is that funny?"

"It's just – you _saw_ Tanya, right?" She nodded. "Why I thought she would ever enjoy going to the bar we went to is beyond me. She hated it from the moment she set foot in the door, and what's worse is that she didn't make a secret of that fact, and I still continued to see her."

"Well," Bella said, trying not to be too negative, "Your girlfriend doesn't necessarily have to love everything that you love. It helps, but it's not necessary."

"You don't have to be nice, Bella," he said, grinning at her and squeezing her close to him. "I love that you're trying, but you don't have to. She isn't the nicest person in the world, if you hadn't noticed. Besides, it turns out that she'd seen me around before, and she'd done some digging, and she found out who Momma was. She wanted to get close to me so she could get to my Momma, and that just wasn't going to happen."

"Rose said something about your mom yesterday," Bella remembered. "I guess I don't really pay attention to stuff like that."

"I'm glad. I don't think I would've been able to trust you if you'd known who she was, and that would definitely have been a tragedy of the worst kind."

"Then I don't feel bad about it," she declared, finishing off her beer. He laughed, and she joined in. "So, tell me, Edward Cullen – what is your favorite breakfast food?"

"French toast," he answered without hesitation. "But only when it's made with thick bread and drenched in powdered sugar and maple syrup."

"I would've pegged you for an omelet guy," she mused, snuggling closer to him. He stretched his legs out in front of him.

"Don't get me wrong, I love omelets, too. I guess they're heartier than French toast – but nothing beats sweets for breakfast. I always feel like I'm getting away with eating dessert." She giggled.

"So you can make French toast?"

"I never said that," he backtracked. "I only get it on holidays, when I see Momma. She makes brunch, and she always makes me a ton of French toast. I usually go home with some, but it doesn't taste as good when it's not fresh."

"I agree completely."

"What's your favorite breakfast food?"

"Everything. I love breakfast. I love food, period."

"That's a good thing, though, since you're a chef, right?"

"That's probably why I became a chef," she said, laughing. "That, and the fact that no one else in my family knows how to cook, and if I wanted something edible growing up, I had to make it myself. I didn't mind, though. Mom was always really appreciative that I took that particular chore away from her – so was Daddy, come to think of it." Edward smiled.

"You sound like you're close to them."

"Yeah, Daddy more so than my mom, but I think that's a girl thing – being a daddy's girl, right? But I do love my mom. We didn't always have the best relationship when I was growing up, but what teenage girl gets along with her mom, you know? Now that I'm out of their house and on my own, I have so much more respect for her. I call her every other day."

"It's nice to hear that you love your family so much. I don't mean to compare you to her, but Tanya hated her family. I couldn't really talk too much about my parents, or she got jealous, and I felt bad. Honestly, sometimes I wonder if maybe I haven't found somebody before now because I don't deserve it."

"How can you say that?" Bella pulled away enough to look Edward in the eyes. "You didn't like Tanya, but you still didn't want to make her feel bad. You love your mom enough not to expose her to someone like Tanya. You love your family, you love your friends, and you're kind and honest. These are all just things I've learned in the last twenty-four hours. How could _anyone_ not want you for _you_? You're amazing."

Edward didn't know what to say to that. She'd stood up to him last night to his friends, and now she was standing up to him for himself. He locked eyes with her, and when she held his gaze, his heart sped up. He let his eyes drop to her pink lips, and then he looked back up. He could hear when Bella's breathing became irregular, and it made his stomach flip in anticipation. He cleared his throat.

"Bella, can I…" He trailed off. "Would it be okay if I kissed you right now?"

"Yes, please," she breathed.

He grinned before closing the distance between them and gently pressing his lips to hers. It was a soft kiss; a barely-there kiss – like being touched by a pair of butterfly wings, Bella thought. How could a kiss be hesitant and certain at the same time? After a moment, his lips left hers, only to meet hers again a second later, firmer this time. He never tried to deepen the kiss, which left Bella feeling both frustrated and grateful. She wondered if maybe he wasn't trying to push the kiss because she'd had a few beers and he was mindful of her story about Jake. She was grateful because she wasn't really sure if she wanted to sleep with him tonight if it involved anything other than actual sleep – and it wasn't because she didn't find him attractive (Jesus God in Heaven, he was attractive – and he smelled amazing, and he was sweet, and considerate, and loyal, and he loved his family, and he was kissing all coherent thought right out of her head), it was just that she'd just met him, and she wanted to be sure that it was what they both wanted, with clear heads, when it happened. She was also frustrated because she kind of wanted him to deepen the kiss. The light kisses were incredible and they were making her dizzy and lightheaded, but she wanted _more_. Surely they could kiss harder without falling into bed together?

All too soon, he pulled away and buried his face in the side of her neck, panting. She understood; her breaths were ragged and shallow. If chaste kisses did this to her, what would deep, passionate kisses do? She didn't know, but she suspected, and she wanted to find out.

"Bella," he breathed into her neck. She felt the gooseflesh rise and she shivered. He pulled away to look at her, and she missed the warmth of his breath on her skin. "Are you cold?"

"Not at all," she said, shaking her head.

"Was that okay?"

"It was more than okay, it was perfect." His expression relaxed, and he smiled.

"I think so, too." He reached out and grabbed her hand with his. "Do you want to go inside now? As much as I would love to stay out here longer, it's been a long day, and I'm pretty tired."

"Sure," she said, letting him help her to her feet. She brushed the back of her pants off and gathered the beer bottles as he began to put the fire out. She walked the trash up to the house and waited until he joined her a few minutes later. He reached for her hand, and once their fingers were intertwined, he led her into the house. Bella surprised him by letting go of him once they were inside the kitchen, and she began packing up the leftover food and putting it away. "Sorry – it's habit. I don't want it to go bad. You have enough food here for a couple of days of leftovers – or just one day, if Emmett and Jasper eat with you." She missed his grin as she cleaned up. He joined her and started filling the dishwasher. He couldn't help but notice that they worked in tandem in comfortable silence, and it felt like they'd done this a hundred times before. When they had finished everything to Bella's satisfaction, he led her down the hallway towards the bedrooms.

"There's no pressure if you don't want to sleep in my room," he began, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. Bella smiled and bit down on her bottom lip.

"If I say I want to sleep in your room, can we just sleep?"

"Yeah! Yes, I mean – of course. I'd like that." His cheeks turned pink.

"You're cute when you're flustered," she blurted. His eyes widened slightly, and then he relaxed. He laughed softly.

"You're cute all the time," he offered quietly, reaching for the doorknob. On some level, Bella knew that her friends would be asking her for the details of what Edward's room looked like, but she didn't notice anything in the room except him. It was dark, and he only switched on a bedside lamp for light. She did see that his room was huge – probably one of the biggest in the house, she thought, but she didn't pay much attention to anything else other than the man in front of her and the bed that they were going to share.

The bed itself was a simple one, for which Bella was glad. She wasn't sure what she would've done if he'd had some ornate thing. For Edward, this bed was a perfect fit. Simple and fuss-free and covered in green (what was quickly becoming her favorite color), the bed was exactly the one she could picture Edward wanting to crawl into at the end of a long, exhausting day. He released her hand long enough to move to one side of the room, and she turned to watch. She could make out a long dresser in the dim light, and she watched as he went through drawers.

"Do you have something to sleep in?" He asked, glancing up at her. She started to nod, and then her eyes widened in realization.

"I did pack something, but my bag is in Rose's car."

"Want to borrow something of mine?" Bella wished she had more light just for a moment. His offer was soft and almost shy, as if he were afraid she might say no.

"I'd love to." After a moment, he approached her with a t-shirt and a pair of long pajama pants. He gave her an apologetic smile.

"Anything I have is probably going to swallow you."

"I don't mind at all," she said honestly. "Where can I change?"

"The bathroom is over there," he said, pointing behind her. "There's a brand new toothbrush in the medicine cabinet, too – you're welcome to it." She thanked him and then moved slowly towards the bathroom. When she found the light switch on the wall, she flipped it and shut the door behind her.

This bathroom was definitely bigger than the bathroom that she'd used earlier. It had a huge shower, a separate bath tub that looked like Charlie's therapeutic hot tub at home, and a double sink. Hell, this bathroom was probably half the size of her apartment, she thought. She got dressed quickly and located the toothbrush that Edward had told her about. She smiled to herself when she realized that they used the same toothpaste. It was a small thing, but for some reason, it made her flush with warmth. When she tried to leave the bathroom, she found that Edward's pants, even rolled up, were much too large to stay on her hips. She worried her bottom lip with her teeth before deciding to get rid of the pants altogether. The t-shirt was long enough, she figured, looking down at herself. It fell just past her knees. Surely that wasn't sending the wrong signals? Not that there _were_ any wrong signals, she thought, rolling her eyes at herself. If he really wanted her badly enough, she wasn't sure that her reasons for not having sex would actually prevent her from doing it. She sighed and left the bathroom.

"Are you okay?" she looked up and saw that he'd already changed into his pajamas, which were very similar to what he'd given her. He was adorable in plaid flannel pants and a snug t-shirt. For some reason the sight of his bare feet was making her warm. Bare feet, muscular arms, strong hands… she shivered.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she answered finally. She watched as he stared at her for a moment, wondering if he was sizing her up the way she'd just done to him. His throat moved as he swallowed.

"What happened to the pants?" he asked, his voice a bit higher than it had been moments before. She dug her toes into the soft carpeting.

"They were too big. Is this okay?" she looked down at herself again before meeting his eyes.

"It's perfect. Just give me a minute – I'm going to go brush my teeth." She watched as he disappeared into the bathroom, and then turned back to the bed. Which side did he prefer? She examined both nightstands on either side of the bed and came to the conclusion that he preferred the right side. The nightstand on that side had an empty glass and a book. She picked up the book and turned it over, smiling when she read the title.

"I told you I liked mysteries," he said, startling her. She put the book back on the nightstand and turned to smile at him.

"I never said I didn't believe you."

"I know, but now you've seen the proof. Which side do you want?"

"I'll take the left side." She followed his lead and turned the covers down before climbing into the bed with him. He reached over and switched the lamp off, bathing them both in darkness. After several minutes, he cleared his throat.

"Bella?"

"Yes, Edward?"

"Would it be too forward of me to ask if I could hold you?" She reached her hand out and felt warmth when it met with his side. He reached out and pulled her close, and she snuggled into his side, resting her head on his shoulder. He hummed in contentment. "This has been the best night of my life," he murmured into the top of her head.

"Mine, too," she admitted. His hand stroked her hair for a few moments, and she closed her eyes to enjoy it. The last thing she remembered before drifting off to sleep was the feeling of Edward pressing a kiss to her forehead.


End file.
